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Vegan is not optimal unless you account for the low amount of aminos and a few other things it can, in some cases, lack depending on food availability.

For me personally I have found that a primarily plant based diet with some eggs, soft cheeses, and occasional fish seems to be the best for energy, digestion, and well-being on and off the bike. I definitely am not vegetarian nor vegan clearly, but I have found that I do not need to prioritize meat as much if I get some leucine and amino acid rich proteins in to supplement the rest of my diet.

Almost all diets now share some basic cornerstones: aim for as many vegetables as feasible, scale up nutrition as hunger and activity increases, the less processed the better, and avoid confining yourself to limits, zones, or anything that might impede optimal activity.

This might not lead to the lowest weight and bodyfat, but it will likely lead to the easiest-to-maintain health and performance.

dvincere wrote:Vegan high carb low fat is the optimum training and racing fuel. Clean, easy digesting, lots of energy. Save the fats for when you go below race weight and need to get back up there.

I'd be interested in reading up on this, eg meal suggestions, snacks etc. Any recommendations?

I don't know who dvincere would suggest you read but, since he didn't chime back in, you should really check out the website of WeightWeenies contributor and raw vegan nutrition guru DurianRider. His website is http://www.30bananasaday.com/ Even if you don't decide to go that diet route, it is worth checking out his stuff, in particular his Youtube vids, both because he is an avid cyclist as well as just for the pure entertainment value. That balls on that guy are unbelievable!

P.S. I don't think that diet is necessarily optimal either, and am personally more in the direction of Kwalker nutritionally speaking. It does seem like there is some individual variation in results though, so give it a shot and see how you feel.

Generally not to concerned about what I eat, just keep the range broad and avoid the bad stuff. Lots of fruit during breakfast. To lose weight, or keep in check, I use an Iphone App when the discipline becomes necessary and count calories in and out. Works pretty accurately every time.

[quote="KWalker"Vegan is not optimal unless you account for the low amount of aminos and a few other things it can, in some cases, lack depending on food availability.

For me personally I have found that a primarily plant based diet with some eggs, soft cheeses, and occasional fish seems to be the best for energy, digestion, and well-being on and off the bike. I definitely am not vegetarian nor vegan clearly, but I have found that I do not need to prioritize meat as much if I get some leucine and amino acid rich proteins in to supplement the rest of my diet.

Almost all diets now share some basic cornerstones: aim for as many vegetables as feasible, scale up nutrition as hunger and activity increases, the less processed the better, and avoid confining yourself to limits, zones, or anything that might impede optimal activity.

This might not lead to the lowest weight and bodyfat, but it will likely lead to the easiest-to-maintain health and performance.[/quote]

It's not about complete amino chains, but about the amount of certain aminos within that chain, like I said. Leucine and Isoleucine often being far lower than in many non-plant products. As drivers of anabolism, the amount per calorie is often not as high from vegan sources alone. I've found it, for me, to not be a hindrance if I can consume some lacto or ovo sources and since I have no ethical concerns with that nor do I believe a completely vegan diet is superior, it's good enough for my desires.